Season 2 Episode 02: Players on the Stage
Synopsis Toussaint Neshinbara finds himself in the world of Thomas Shakespeare, and soon, faces one of "her" works: the Second Tragedy: Macbeth. As Thomas begins to recite the lines from one of Shakespeare's famous plays, a man made up of flames appears infront of Toussaint, and it slowly approaches Neshinbara, much to his fright. He quickly deduces that Thomas wants to drag him into playing the role of Macbeth, who in the play kills his king and usurps the throne, only to face death during his reign, and acts accordingly, using his Mountains of Text ability to try and take out the spectre of Macbeth before it reaches him. However, Thomas was able to keep Macbeth from breaking down under Neshinbara's might. Then, in order to hasten Neshinbara's defeat, Thomas calls forth another spectre into the battlefield, and it is none other than Macbeth's spouse, Lady Macbeth. Nearby, William Cecil and Robert Dudley focus on the mysterious Mechanic Shell that has withstood their attacks with desperation. With Cecil's "Distribution" Ability set directly at Persona and Adele Balfette, who pilots the Mechanic Shell, they are forced several decks down due to the added weight of Cecil's ability. Meanwhile, both Noriki and Ulquiaga, the latter still suffering from Cecil's "Distribution" Ability, endure Ben Johnson's high-speed attacks. Back in the literary battlefield of Shakespeare and Neshinbara, Musashi's strategist soon finds himself close to succumbing to the curse of Shakespeare's ability; fortunately, he notices that Shakespeare no longer has the ether to power another attack directly at her. Shakespeare then pulls out something from inside the paper bag she always carries, and Neshinbara becomes shocked upon discovering that Shakespeare is one of the Eight Great Dragon Lords, entrusted with the Mortal Sin Armament Aspida Phylargyria, which empowers the owner with additional ether depending on how much pain the owner receives. And she draws her pain from the harsh criticisms she had received from a certain person — none other than Toussaint Neshinbara himself. Soon, after revealing Neshinbara's past with Alcalá de Henares and the destruction of a certain educational facility, Thomas Shakespeare uses the opening she created to attack Neshinbara directly using Macbeth. Then, in a desperate move by Toussaint, he pulls himself out of the battlefield and calls out to "Shinagawa", who quickly mobilizes his plan. Almost instantly, the Musashi performs a maneuver similar to drifting, with the entire ship skidding sideways and turning, approaching England's coastline faster than anyone in the TRUMPS aboard the Musashi expected. Ben Johnson, although startled by the sudden shift of plan, orders the escort ships of England to retreat while the members of TRUMPS onboard try to avoid being thrown overboard by the sudden maneuver. Meanwhile, everyone in the upper deck of the Musashi brace themselves. Just then, a sound is heard from nowhere. A barrage of low velocity rounds from a somewhere else hits the hull of one of the derrick ships of the Musashi. This was followed by an alarm by "Musashi" herself as she detects a sudden fluctuation of energy from the second layer of England: the activation of the country's ground defense system, EX. Caliburn. In a few seconds, a large beam of light that resembles a sword appears on England's landscape, and it cleaves through the approaching artillery rounds. "Musashi" then prepares everyone for impact. Aboard one of the tow ships of the Musashi, Toori, tied at the neck by a long piece of rope, is thrown into the air by the strong air currents, and Masazumi and Futayo fear for the Chancellor's life. Masazumi orders Futayo to cut the rope that would strangle Toori if left intact. Futayo quickly follows Masazumi's orders and uses Tonbokiri to slice the rope that connects the tow ship to the Musashi. Meanwhile, some of the inhabitants of the Musashi, including Konishi, voices their concern about their safety with such a dangerous move performed in the flying ship. His complaints however are interrupted when a naked man falls from the sky — and it is none other than Toori himself, freed from his restraints just a few moments ago. Category:Episodes Category:Season 2 Episodes